tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89040531078552895932016-09-08T00:23:08.036-04:00A Beautiful MessA Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-58208986837528865652011-08-25T17:47:00.002-04:002011-08-25T17:49:41.348-04:00School 2011<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyUymHtt7mY/TlbDbSJGbZI/AAAAAAAAAho/ppnysith16w/s1600/299187_3234815508335_1205103559_102022729_7779868_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyUymHtt7mY/TlbDbSJGbZI/AAAAAAAAAho/ppnysith16w/s320/299187_3234815508335_1205103559_102022729_7779868_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644914056449387922" /></a>
<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LAunP1LHs9M/TlbDbL5cdrI/AAAAAAAAAhg/nueZSyRQg3w/s1600/300213_3235387442633_1205103559_102023560_6913690_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LAunP1LHs9M/TlbDbL5cdrI/AAAAAAAAAhg/nueZSyRQg3w/s320/300213_3235387442633_1205103559_102023560_6913690_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644914054773110450" /></a>
<br />I have a kindergarten student, a freshman in high school and a junior in high school!A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-69349756086191540732011-06-12T19:25:00.003-04:002011-06-12T20:40:38.077-04:00Funny Stuff!Just in case you needed a little energy to get you moving Monday morning....<iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw_Ri8JH0mBuIUlY62GjwDiL78MjO8rSyquDLkX-L4eGgssJ85zejF3PfAIdsC8CYxqCWruW6tl2tlWOw_AoA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-8717141120914679422011-02-17T20:50:00.006-05:002011-02-17T20:58:31.660-05:00M.Y.O.B<div>I am guessing that Soph was baiting her teacher (who is no weanie) by being naughty and "daring" her to write me a note. I love the "needs to mind her own business".....my girl is all up in everything at home and now at school. Heaven help me.... </div><div><br /></div><div>*yes I know she wrote to instead of too....but lets be honest spending your day with 4 year olds is going to result is some tired note writing.***</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwnHr8egLs8/TV3QnEqOPcI/AAAAAAAAAgY/stG44CSvoi0/s1600/NOTE.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LwnHr8egLs8/TV3QnEqOPcI/AAAAAAAAAgY/stG44CSvoi0/s400/NOTE.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574841283438853570" /></a>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-34843419815903142282011-02-06T16:43:00.002-05:002011-02-06T16:50:07.371-05:00Re-Adoption Birth CertificateWe have been home with Sophie since September 2007. We have yet to complete the paperwork that would provide her with an "american" birth certificate. I am conflicted about the birth certificate stuff...if I am not mistaken, I think it lists us as her parents. Yes, I know we are her parents, but a BC typically lists your birth parents. She still can't president of the USA even with her American birth certificate.<div><br /></div><div>Sooooo<br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>What are the benefits of completing the paper to get Sophie a NC birth certificate?</div></div></div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-31445718497461653462011-02-04T19:51:00.003-05:002011-02-04T19:54:04.813-05:00Happy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TUyfLXxBwmI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/owP_I_7_5RY/s1600/photo%2B%25281%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TUyfLXxBwmI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/owP_I_7_5RY/s400/photo%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570001856857490018" /></a><br />Soph is one happy girl! Here she is with some of her pre-school peeps. She is rockin' her "China" outfit for their class CNY party. She brought red envelopes with Chinese gold, oranges, fortune cookies, a zodiac coloring book, a book for her class to keep and some yummy red velvet cupcakes. Her teachers describe her as a happy girl....what more could a mama ask for??!!A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-32855784659517876222011-01-31T21:59:00.001-05:002011-01-31T22:01:05.523-05:00workingI am working on a blog post about our attachment journey and the impact ( I believe) that Sophie's SN had on her becoming securely attached to us:)<div><br /></div><div>In the meantime check this blog out. Cute family.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><center> <a href="http://k6comehome.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r208/jennisajoy/OUAB/herewegrowagaincopy.png" /> </a></center>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-6155304926076116922011-01-09T09:18:00.002-05:002011-01-09T09:30:06.040-05:00What's your Word?In the book and movie Eat, Pr@y,L0ve the characters discussed their "word". The ONe WORD that best describes who they are, who they want to be, what they want their life to be. Hop on over to <a href="http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/">Lisa Leonard's blog of beautiful:)</a> and enter to win a necklace with your "word"<div><br /></div><div>My word....Time. Make time to enjoy the blessings in my life, find the time to take care of myself, spend time with those I love, and last but not least.....stop wasting time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Good luck!</div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-27847454368487459602011-01-08T08:10:00.003-05:002011-01-10T23:38:31.628-05:00Part 2 of "More or Less"I posted the previous post/question on f@acebo*k and got lots of replies. Many saying their kiddo was a mix of both....but most were consistent with the emotional/independence levels were lower than same age peers. Part of Soph's lack of maturity I chalked up to being the youngest in our house and having 4 big people around her to help, talk to etc. and I am sure that is part of it, but I also think that her tramau and loss are another (if subconscious) part of her emotional maturity. Sophie often pushes for independence typical of a kid her age " I can do it!" "Don't help me!" but on the other hand she often wants to sit on my lap at dinner to eat, have me carry her ( she is getting heavy and I am getting old!!) I admit that when she lays on the bed our couch and waves her arms and makes baby sounds it annoys me. I am not sure how to react to her wanting to be a baby. Do I tell her I want me big girl? I am all done with babies? Let her be a baby? (which I sometimes do, but usually I try to redirect that baby behavior by reading a book or engaging her is some play. I am guessing she is acting like a baby because I have been busy and she needs some attention from me).<div><br /></div><div> Sleep has definitely improved. I can snuggle her for a few minutes and say good night and leave the room while she is still awake. We just go rid of pull-*ps due to miss lazy peeing in them while she is awake! I am still going in at 11:00 and putting her on the potty. Most nights she is sleeping the entire night and waking up dry. </div><div><br /></div><div>She is academically ready for kindergarten. We will see how well she does with the "demands" of kindergarten. Soph turns 5 in May and believe me I have considered not sending her to kindergarten since she is likely to be among the youngest kids in her class. My fear is that she started pre-school with many kindergarten skills already in place ( letter recognition, letter sounds, concepts of print, writing letters, drawing pics with details, number recognition, basic number sense to 10 etc.) and if I held her back behavior would become a BIGGER issue than it is now plus the maturity piece would also be set back...so Soph will be heading to kindergarten next year. Good news is that she will be coming to the school where I teach:) I won't see her much since I am rarely on the k-2 hallway, but it will be nice to have her there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for all your comments....it is good to know the spectrum for our kiddos. </div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-51158899842466191442011-01-05T19:13:00.002-05:002011-01-05T19:19:26.101-05:00More or Less?I find Sophie to be less mature than her peers...definitely less mature than Ben or Hannah at that age. As a mom and a teacher I would say compared to Soph's peers she is more like a kiddo who just turned 4 years old, not a kiddo who will be 5 years old in May. She often "acts" like a baby. I know we can say that some of that behavior could be due to her not having much "baby" time in China, but we did a lot of regressing as part of our attachment journey. On the other hand, she can seem to be very mature, staying focused on a particular task, being able to entertain herself when needed, and teasing or being "snarky". The girl definitely gets the appeal of pulling someones leg!<div><br /></div><div>So tell me do you find that your child from China is more or less mature than their peers?</div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-49931139876590908542011-01-03T08:00:00.003-05:002011-01-03T22:36:45.341-05:00I'm kinda a plannerI suppose everything happens for a reason. I like to make "plans". I like to stick to the plan most of the time. Sure I can be flexible, but I like a plan. Planning for Sophie to have another surgery was a bit a whirl wind. We spoke with her specialist and got things scheduled and in order fairly quick. I made lesson plans for the entire month for my sub. Meal plans for the month etc. Oh and worrying and worrying some more. We have made a big decision for a little person who will some day be an adult. It was not an easy choice to make, and we believe it will be the best thing for Soph in the long run. But the emotional "plan" has been a lot harder this time and Sophie getting sick right before we were to go sent me over the edge for a couple of hours.<div><br /></div><div>BUT.............<br /><div><br /></div><div>Sophie is rescheduled for March 24th. It actually works out better since my time out of school will end just as our spring break starts. So instead of having 4 weeks (including our 5 day hospital stay) at home with Sophie I will have 5 weeks, and that is a good thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So it all worked out. Sophie is feeling better and heading back to school on Wednesday. I have accepted that plans change....ok that is a lie. But I have accepted the new plan:) Thanks for all your kind words and support. It is good to know you guys are still out there checking in on us!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-22569052726246990982011-01-02T16:07:00.002-05:002011-01-02T16:14:55.664-05:00CANCELLEDSophie has the flu. No surgery for 6 weeks. I can't make this stuff up. I keep crying. The stress of preparing to go, and now the change of plans....she can't have surgery until February. <div><br /></div><div>For two weeks I have kept her away from kid germ breeding areas...school, playgrounds etc.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We went to get her pre-0p physical done on Thursday. It has to be done 30 days prior to surgery...we didn't get that info or the form until Tuesday or I certainly would have had it done sooner. I didn't want to go in the germ hub of kid crud. 3 days later she has the flu.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-8027979212534713552010-12-30T14:10:00.002-05:002010-12-30T14:25:01.699-05:00Here we go again....We are heading back to Cinc*nnati childrens hospital for what I hope is Sophie's LAST surgery EVER! If you don't remember Sophie had her<a href="http://tbghappenings.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html"> first surgery</a> about a month after coming home. This isn't a surgery we were anticipating, but it is one her<i> expert best surgeon in the world for her special need </i>says will greatly improve her quality of life. Sophie will be in surgery on January 6th. I am not sure of the time yet but if her sweet little face crosses your mind send her some prayers. The surgery will be 3 hours (at least) and we will be in the hospital for 5 days. Pray that she co-operates. I can't even put a bandaid on this girl without a major meltdown. I am also doing this without Chris...dreading the waiting room part while she is in surgery. Dreading. It.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-13700915959591648532010-12-27T09:57:00.002-05:002010-12-27T09:58:05.551-05:00Merry Christmas!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TRipdWL45DI/AAAAAAAAAgE/nnuVmllBvLc/s1600/DSC08707.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TRipdWL45DI/AAAAAAAAAgE/nnuVmllBvLc/s400/DSC08707.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555376461998253106" /></a><br />Hope you all had a great holiday! We sure did:)A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-44641196871910656472010-12-12T20:08:00.003-05:002010-12-12T22:16:11.938-05:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TQVyT40G76I/AAAAAAAAAf4/QFoRLjH2h7g/s1600/santa2010.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TQVyT40G76I/AAAAAAAAAf4/QFoRLjH2h7g/s400/santa2010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549967801798029218" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not going to lie....I'm surprised that she went up and sat on S*nta's lap. Sophie has been "encouraging" me to go visit S*nta and tell him what she wanted for Christmas:) She really couldn't give us a big ol' smile because she was a little uncomfortable, so when we asked her for her goofy smile this is the smirk she gave us! She is on smart and funny girl! This is going to be the best Christmas! Sophie is sooo excited. She is really in the Christmas spirit...singing songs, moving decorations around the tree...just super excited. It is going to fun, fun, fun.A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-89826462997743192882010-12-06T19:35:00.000-05:002010-12-06T19:36:15.156-05:00Like you don't already know.....Fun stuff!!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.nihaoyall.com" target="self"><img alt="Ni Hao Y'all" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/29boyol.png" /></a></center>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-29724936330899318982010-11-15T18:39:00.003-05:002010-11-15T20:07:30.337-05:00All in one dayDo you remember the first Who0pie G0ldberg one woman show??? There is a part in the show where is she portrays a young girl wanting long beautiful hair like the dolls she sees and plays with (This was a commentary about what is "considered beautiful") During this part of her performance Wh0opie has a nightgown on her head. Remember??? Well anyway yesterday Sophie walked into the kitchen with with her dress over her hair just like Who0pie telling me " look mama at my beautiful white hair....don't I look like a princess?" Gaaaaw I hate those damn princesses. So I told her that I liked the princesses with the beautiful brown and black hair....which of course she said "noooo I like the princesses with the white hair...." ***UGH***<br /><br />Later on we headed over to the park to play. It was a beautiful day and the park was packed. Sophie was running around and going down this one slide. An older boy was sitting at the top of the slide and I can see Sophie telling him to go and then sitting down behind him, where she proceeds to try to get him to go with a little push with her feet. Once she gets down the slide I call her over and tell her that she is not allowed to push or "help" someone go down the slide. She runs off to go down the slide again. This time the boys brother, I think his twin, cuts in front of Sophie so he can go down the slide before her.....his mom is yelling that it is time to leave. The little boy shoots down the slide then turns and says...."HA! YOU STUPID CHINESE!!" Yep that is what he yelled at my daughter. I started to get up, but his mother was right there and walloped him in the head and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the park. She knew I was sitting right behind her.....but she might have wacked him even if I wasn't sitting there, who knows. Sophie didn't hear what he said and kept on laughing and playing....thank goodness. But the time is going to come and someone is going to say something hurtful and nasty just because of how she looks or where she is from.<br /><br />Is it bad for me to teach her to tell people to" kiss her Ch*nese A$$"A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-40180513772285312462010-10-18T17:39:00.002-04:002010-10-18T18:03:01.006-04:00Ooops here is the video of the very start of the show...<iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy1B2-ypHNMaxuyRzFmJnqc5NYAA7bluCwte2zwnTEO_cWtkb9BmPvuBFVNME4G3xIr3dGwlKhADvuDuGjF2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-5862015544129672812010-10-17T19:50:00.004-04:002010-10-18T17:37:50.429-04:00FUN!Sophie is a huge fan of y0 g@bba g@bba so I couldn't resist when I found out they were coming to our area! She was so excited. Here is a video of the first few minutes from the beginning of the show. She can hardly control herself!<br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyigtkddX9nXHKGduz99HmCsRqtBpGk8MM4ehrr4TeZvD4sZq8T2fwkNDh0Q_D4bu6835QoEagJ-Z3j215qwA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-8009927012782721922010-09-04T10:18:00.003-04:002010-09-04T11:00:14.328-04:00Mid Autumn Festival -September 22ndIt is that time of year again! Time for Mooncakes! I love red bean paste mooncakes....but my pre-k peeps don't seem to like them as much as I do:) Here is a kid friendly mooncake recipe that Sophie brought to school last year and will bring again to school this year along with a story about the Mid-Autumn Festival. We decided on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602209693/ref=oss_product">this book</a> this year for Sophie's 4 year old preschool class.<br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" ><b>Easy Mooncakes<br /></b></span> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >Needed:<br />1. 1 Can Pillsbury "Grand rounds" refrigerated biscuits<br />2. Strawberry preserves (do not use jelly)<br />3. 1 egg</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >Here is what to do:<br />1. Wash your hands</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >2. Open and separate biscuits.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >3. Working on a floured surface, press the biscuits flat into 3 inch circles, leaving the middle a little thicker then the edges.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >4. Put a teaspoon of preserves into the center of each biscuit.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >5. Pull the edges up over the filling and squeeze them together to seal. Make sure they're well sealed or the filling will leak out!</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >6. Roll the biscuits into balls and put them 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet with the crimped side down.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >7. Flatten them down gently with your hand until they're about 1/2 inch thick.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >8. Beat the egg with one tablespoon water, just until it is mixed. ( I left this off due to a friend in Soph's class having a egg allergy)<br /></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >9 Brush the mooncakes with the egg mixture.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >10. Bake as directed on the package or until golden brown.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >11. Put on racks to cool when done.</span></p><p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >12. When cooled toss mooncakes in a gallon ziplock bag with some powdered sugar.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style=";font-family:Georgia;font-size:85%;" >ENJOY!<br /></span></p>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-63906966488086639712010-08-03T20:34:00.004-04:002010-08-04T21:14:01.205-04:00Not to be missed!<a href="http://nohandscurrentinfo.blogspot.com/2010/08/pov-on-pbs-series-of-adoption.html">No Hands But Ours</a> has a listing of adoption related programing coming up in the next few months including Wo Ai Ni Mommy ( I have seen clips of this film and have some "opinions" but won't share those until I see the entire movie). Set your DVR'sA Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-62453321816513842182010-08-03T16:45:00.004-04:002010-08-03T16:54:07.679-04:00Working on some stuff...Hello All! I have pictures and stories to share from our latest "Summer Sisters" gathering. It was tons of fun and so cool to see all of our girls and one cute little boy running around the yard! Right now I have a house full of family but I promise more pictures later!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TFiA7HZ_ELI/AAAAAAAAAfo/ztkuX6Un70M/s1600/Copy+of+summer+2010+092.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pHkmtXREc-s/TFiA7HZ_ELI/AAAAAAAAAfo/ztkuX6Un70M/s400/Copy+of+summer+2010+092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501288697921736882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sadly back to school is quickly approaching. Check out this site for cool back to school stuff! Click on the button and happy shopping!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.coolmompicks.com/back-to-school-shopping"><img src="http://coolmompicks.com/images/CMP_bts.gif" alt="Back to School Shopping" /></a>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-37736178638762324682010-07-24T22:23:00.002-04:002010-07-24T22:30:14.204-04:00I WON!Ok I'll be honest I wish I was announcing that I won the lottery....but no dice. Gotta play in order to win:) BUT I did win a very cool Bento Cookbook from Lisa at <a href="http://maisieeatsbento.blogspot.com/">Maisie Eats Bento</a>. I have made lots of yummy food from Lisa's cooking blog <a href="http://cooklisacook.blogspot.com/">Cook Lisa Cook</a>. I highly recommend the mint fudge brownies, the lasagna soup...I love that soup, red curry soup and lots more. Lots of yummy stuff.<br /><br />Thanks Lisa!!A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-31261318265406191332010-06-13T15:32:00.002-04:002010-06-13T15:34:45.345-04:00Still Around...I am still around. I am still reading blogs but not really commenting. I am ready for a fun and busy summer. I have had to put comment moderator on....weird sites leaving comments.... believe me you don't want to link to from here.....Hope everyone is doing well.<br /><br />I'll be back when I have something funny or interesting to share:)<br /><br />PeaceA Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-84258128340934964032010-04-06T16:52:00.004-04:002010-04-06T17:05:03.409-04:00I Spoke to a New Mom on the Phone TodayIt was truly the best phone call ever! Today my good friend became a Mom. I can't wait to meet their little polar cub! Now I will get to write a welcome home baby letter! The wait for a child does all kinds of things to friendships and truly who you are as a person. The particular waiting mama has touched my heart in a way that I can't explain. I cried when she called with her news! It is one happy day for many families who have endured this wait....but I am extra happy for this mama!<br /><br /><br />For <a href="http://polarbearinchina.blogspot.com//">Polar Cub and Mama Bear</a><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mxmKRyLdBho&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mxmKRyLdBho&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8904053107855289593.post-60553169092717556322010-02-14T08:53:00.003-05:002010-02-14T10:31:30.027-05:00Chinese New Year Dinner MenuWe will be getting together with friends next weekend to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. To be honest, for me <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">all </span>holidays revolve around food:) The Lunar New Year is no exception! This is what I have planned so far....please leave me your suggestions. One of our friends that will be coming has a daughter from Vietnam and a son from Korea. They will be bringing some yummy traditional dishes for each of their kiddos birth countries. We will of course have some Chinese dishes as well as some Indonesian dishes ( my mothers birth country). Looks like we will have lots of Asia covered next Sunday!!<br /><br />On the menu so far:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.chiff.com/recipe/pages/10125.htm">Nian Gao</a>. Chinese Sticky Cake. This cake is said to make people advance towards higher positions and prosperity step by step....hey it's a recession we need all the help we can get!<br /></li><li><a href="http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/chinese-tea-eggs">Chinese Tea Eggs</a>- I can't wait to try these! My friend Liz will be bringing this to dinner!</li><li><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chinese-Steamed-Buns-With-BBQ-Pork-Filling/Detail.aspx">Char Siu Bau</a>. Chinese steamed buns with BBQ pork. I bought these at an Asian market but this recipe looks good.</li><li><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/18727/fried-won-tons---pangseet.html">Pangseet</a>-Indonesian fried wonton. My kids loooove these!</li><li><a href="http://www.indochef.com/indo_24.shtml">Bami Goreng</a>-Indonesian noodles-this will be our Long life noodle dish. I am going to use long Chinese egg noodles.</li><li><a href="http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-black-bean-sauce">Chicken in black bean sauce</a>- Yummy and shhhh I can make this in the crockpot:)<br /></li><li><a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://image24.webshots.com/24/5/69/51/94356951hEglQL_fs.jpg&amp;imgrefurl=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1094356951049855502hEglQL&amp;usg=__n1XlDo6hpWPMRXlelSOXqr4Swa8=&amp;h=1536&amp;w=2048&amp;sz=179&amp;hl=en&amp;start=18&amp;um=1&amp;itbs=1&amp;tbnid=d8g1Mz4asK7NXM:&amp;tbnh=113&amp;tbnw=150&amp;prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkerupuk%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26lr%3Dlang_en%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DVHg%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1">Kerupuk</a>- I grew up eating these at my Oma's house. You use them to scoop up rice and meat. They are yummy! My kids call the "Chinese Chips"</li><li><a href="http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/chinese-scallion-pancakes-photo-photo-recipe">Scallion pancakes</a>- Did you eat these in China? I love these! </li><li><a href="http://www.indochef.com/indo_06.shtml">Beef Randang</a>- A spicy Indonesian beef dish</li><li>Rice and lots of it!</li><li>Oranges and tangerines<br /></li></ul>We will have a Vietnamese dish and and a Korean dish....can't wait to try those too! I need another chicken dish, maybe I'll make <a href="http://www.indochef.com/indo_04.shtml">sate with peanut sauce</a>, the kids love it.<br /><br />Gong Xi Fa Cai!A Beautiful Messhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06743224608400210594noreply@blogger.com11